4.3 Mercruiser Died, Won't start
 

Hello, I have a 2001 180 Diablo with the 4.3 Mercruiser and Alpha One Drive. As I was leaving the lake I gave her full throttle and She started to act like she was out of fuel. The engine died and turned over and fired 2 or 3 times but wouldn't stay running. Now it won't turn over and there's a steady alarm. All lights and gages work and I have 2 batteries that read over 12 volts and tried them both several times with the same result. I put fuel in her and it still does the same thing. Is there a safety switch or something simple I need to check??? I tried resetting the red 50 amp button by the carburetor. There is nothing visible like oil or any fluids on the engine or in the compartment and the drive is full of fluid. Engine oil is fine too.

Thanks,
-Jeff

Re: 4.3 Mercruiser Died, Won't start
 

There are 27 pages of threads here in this section and one or two on each page about starting issues. I suspect one of them will have your answer. Originally it sounded like a fuel issue. When's the last time you changed the fuel filter? If now you are saying it wont even turn over then i would try the following;

Check & clean the battery connections and the starter connections.

Check to make sure your shifter is in neutral and jiggle it a bit while turning the key. If it starts when you do this then there is a problem with the neutral safety switch located inside the throttle assembly box.

You can also check the fuse in the inline fuse holder leading to the key switch. If its dirty you can get enough power to run the dash but not enough to fire the starter solenoid.

There is also a full starting system troubleshooting guide located at the top of the Maintenance Forum.

But......before you do anything of the above, check the safety on/off switch on your throttle assembly just in the event you accidentally knocked it to the off position.

Re: 4.3 Mercruiser Died, Won't start
 

Hello Jeffrey. I have the same motor on my 2000 Shabah. I have the same problem. I replaced my water fuel separator on the front left of under motor. Looks just like an oil filter. That could be a cheap fix for you. Cost me about $9.

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